Church and traditions

You have let go of the commands of God and are holding on to the traditions of men (Mark 7:8).

Take a look at part of an essay on tradition written by Ernst Kasemann: "What…Christians must never…do [is to] take their stand on what is conventional, so as to abandon the future for the sake of the past. Every one of us is called every day to an exodus, as Abraham had to migrate from his father’s house into an unknown country. Anyone who will not join in the march loses touch with God’s people, even if he dwells in temples…What is true for the individual is no less true for the church as a whole. It, too, is constantly being called to break camp, and it has to leave behind what was once its gain; otherwise it is ruled not by the Spirit but by its own tradition. A continual exodus is the reverse side of Christian freedom. To be free, one must be able to give up what is old, and so answer God’s will today and tomorrow."

Traditions can be wonderful things; they keep us rooted in who we are as families, as a society, as members of Christ’s church. But traditions can also make us slaves to the past. Traditions established by God are good—life-long marriage between one man and one woman, for example, has served as the basis of human society since the beginning of time. But traditions invented by mankind are inherently flawed to some degree by the sin that distorts all human thinking.

Let’s look at just one church tradition by way of example. Have you had the experience of belonging to a church at a time when new hymnbooks were introduced? It was undoubtedly a traumatic experience for many members. People liked their old familiar hymns, and many felt that the new songs were not appropriate for use in worship. But you know what? Every hymn you have ever sung was contemporary church music at one time. There are many standbys that we love to sing today which were once brand new and regarded with suspicion by some people at that time. A collection of hymns that you find uncomfortably modern today may become the tradition of a future generation. There is nothing designed by man that cannot be improved upon. Your church songbook was not written by God; it does not have the untouchable status of the divinely inspired Bible. No matter how well intentioned, no man-made custom is perfect, and to enshrine such customs as unchangeable traditions is to invite trouble. God tells us that the only rules that should have final say in our lives are His rules, because only God’s ways are perfect.